For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
1 Corinthians 4:4

Here is wisdom. My own sense of guilt - or lack of it - doesn’t determine whether I’m right or not. My opinion even of my own actions and motivations doesn’t mean much, because after all, it’s God who makes the call. He is the judge.

How many times do we hear a politician caught red-handed say, “But I didn’t do anything wrong”? How many criminals have we heard stand before the judge and say, “I don’t think that what I did was that bad”?

If I rely on my own opinion I’ll generally find reasons to justify my own behavior, no matter what the law says. But the judge isn’t interested in my opinion; only in the law, and whether I broke it or not.

On the other hand, when God says to me, “Your sins, which are many, are forgiven. Jesus paid it all. Welcome home.” Who am I to argue with Him then, either? It’s His opinion that counts, His call, and no one else’s.

Father, You know my history, inside and out, all my thoughts, words, and deeds. I kneel in Your presence, grateful for Your mercy and forgiveness, knowing that Your Word is true. I trust in Your judgement, not my own. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles